The Supreme Court’s historic decision on same sex
marriage sent the month of June out with a bang. Life ushered us into July with
many American’s calling this historic decision a victory for equality. Whether
you are for same sex marriage, or against it, we all have to admit, “The
times they are a-changing.” I am not sure what Bob Dylan was experiencing in
1964 when he wrote this song, but to be sure, many things have come about since
then that we never dreamed would happen. Amazingly in recent years several
things were signed into law that many people voted against, but those things
passed non-the-less.
Many people are very passionate about what they believe
and become very upset when decisions are made that go against their
beliefs. So, what do you do when things in life don’t go in the direction
you would like? Do you get upset and mad about it? And if you do get angry, do
you stay angry? It’s your choice of course, but getting angry will not make a
difference if all you are going to do is stay angry and complain about it.
Besides, anger that is not dealt with doesn’t go away. In fact, it only gets
worse. And if not dealt with, overtime one can begin to act out one’s
unaddressed anger and it can lead to acts of intolerable behavior.
Likewise, behavior that becomes insufferable to others can lead to the
breakdown of relationships in all spheres of one’s life.
Healthguide.org offers a few helpful tips that may help
you address and learn how to handle anger positively:
- “Out-of-control
anger hurts your physical health. Constantly operating at
high levels of stress and tension is bad for your health. Chronic anger
makes you more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol
levels, a weakened immune system, insomnia, and high blood pressure.
- Out-of-control
anger hurts your mental health. Chronic anger consumes huge
amounts of mental energy and clouds your thinking, making it harder to
concentrate, see the bigger picture, and enjoy life. It can also lead to
stress, depression, and other mental health problems.
- Out-of-control
anger hurts your career. Constructive criticism, creative differences, and
heated debate can be healthy. But lashing out only alienates your
colleagues, supervisors, or clients and erodes their respect. What’s more,
a bad reputation can follow you wherever you go, making it harder and
harder to get ahead.
- Out-of-control anger hurts your relationships with
others. It causes lasting scars in the people you love most and gets
in the way of your friendships and work relationships. Chronic, intense
anger makes it hard for others to trust you, speak honestly, or feel
comfortable—they never know what is going to set you off or what you will
do. Explosive anger is especially damaging to children.” (http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/anger-management.htm).
Yes, the world
around us is ever changing and often times those changes leave us wrought with
anxiety. But, God never changes. God is the same yesterday, today and evermore
and is in control of all our lives. Once
again I recommend that you try praying the serenity prayer daily and pray it
with sincerity of hart to ensure a positive change in your outlook on
life. "God grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and
wisdom to know the difference." (Reinhold Niebuhr 1892-1971).
Jacqueline
